Motion-picture-projecting machine



July 6 1926. 1,591,101

R. L. RAMSEY MOTION PICTURE PROJECTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 16. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 6 1926. v 1,591,101

R. L. RAMSEY MOTIQN PICTURE PROJECTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 16. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J8 #Wf/Www .1 z g, .5 I I Patented July 6,1926. 1,591,101v UNlTEl) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT L. RAMSEY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MOTION-PICTURE-PROJ' EGTIN G MACHINE.

Application filed November 16, 1923. Serial No. 675,215.

My invention relates to motion picture said shaft being driven by the usual hand projecting machines, and has particular refor power devices commonly in use at the erence to improvements in film advancing present time. Rigidly mounted on the shaft and shutter mechanisms. l 4 and laterally isposed with reference to B The principal object of this invention RS the aperture 2 is a cam block or wheel 60 to provide in a motion picture machine 1m- 5 which is arranged to actuate the lower proved actuating devices for advancing the film advancing sprocket 6 and presser 7 as film past the aperture of the machine during well as the usual shutter (not shown) which operation. s mounted on the outer end of a shaft 8 A further object of the invention is to 1n bearlngs 1n the frame. The shaft 4 con- 65 provide a presser mechanism whereby the tlnues upwardly above the cam block film is advanced without strain being placed and near its upper end is provided with a upon the film perforations. worm 9 arranged to actuate worm gears 10 Another object of the invention is to proand 11 respectlvely. The worm gears 10 and vide unitary means for operating a presser 11 are rigidly mounted on shafts 12 and mechanism and the lower sprocket of a mo-' 13 respectively. Rigidly mounted on the ti i t hi shaft 12 inside the frame 1 is a large roller A still further object of this invention 14, the same belng disposed adjacent, but is to provide means whereby the film is ren n n ct i e upp p c t 20 lieved of strain from the upper sprocket he latter being rigidly mounted on the of a motion picture machine. shaft l3. Mounted in the frame 1 are the A th bj t f th i ti i t usual guide rollers 16, which carry the film vide improved means for adjusting the film dPWII t0 h aperture from the upper magaso that the picture registers with the aper- Zlnet f th hi Mounted 1n hearings in the frame 1 be- Other objects of the invention will apl and t0 the front of the aperture 2 pear from the following detailed description 18 the lower Sprocket Which is igid y thereof. secured on a shaft 17. The shaft 17 extends In the drawings under the cam block 5 and is provided with 30 Fi 1 i a perspective f a ti a wheel 18, which is keyed on a sleeve 34 of a motion picture machine containing the through Y h shaft 17 p The novel features constituting my invention; Whee1 18 13 provided with peripheral pins Figure 2 is a perspective of the cam block 19 Whlch are arrahgefi to ng g in a p r l f th Operation f th Presser, lower cam slot 20 located in a circular recess or 25 k t d h tt h i groove 20*, in the under face of the cam Figure 8 is a'perspective of the presser block the P thus actuating, When h i the block 5 is rotating, the shaft 17 and Fi 4 i a b tt i f th a sprocket 6. The groove 20 is of suflicient block and immediate connections illustratdepth recelvfl the 810 f h Wheel 18 ing the lower sprocket drive; between adjacent P 19.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of the 2 mounted m a bearmg 21 in the film adjusting mechanism; frame is a shaft 22, one end of which carries Figure 6 is a transverse section of said the Presser the latter being located bemechanism; v low the aperture 2 of the machine. The 45 Figure 7 is a s tion of th cam bl k; other end of the shaft 22 is provided with Figure 8 is a section of the presser rollers; a Short rm 23 which extends at right angles Figure 9 is a sectional view of the device t0 h shaft. Secured in the arm 23 is a. illustrating the film travel. pin 24, the free end of which is provided The numeral 1 indicates a portion of the with eccentric axes 25 and 26 and rollers frame of a motion picture machine, 2 the 27 and 28. The peripheral face of the aperture of the machine, and 3 the upper block 5 is provided with a cam slot 29, film magazine thereof. Vertically mounted and the rollers 27 and 28 are arranged to in bearings in the machine is a shaft 4; bear against the upper and lower sides of which is arranged to drive the various mechsaid slot respectively, it bein understood anisms involved in the present invention, that the shaft 22 is radially isposed with no reference to the cam block 5. The slot 29 is so shaped as to rock the shaft 22, so as to move the presser 7 with a rapid intermittent downward movement and a slow or gradual upward movement.

The peripheral face of the block is also provided with a groove 30 above the slot 99,?said groove being of a depth to accomimo'date the arc hetweenedjacent pins of a wheel 31 on the end oft he shutter shaft 8. "lghe' wheel 31 is pr'ovicled with pins' 32 which are arranged to en gage in spiral slots inside the groove 30 so as to actuate the shutter when the block is in rotation.

In order to atilj' ustthc film in relation to the aperture 2 so that the-several views will register accurate lygthe shaft 17 of the lower sprocket 6, and the sleeve 34, are prolonged, so as to extend beyond. the opposite wall of the frame 1, t h'e outer end of the sleeve .being enlarged to form a cylinder 35 which extends beyond the end of the shaftin a housing secured to the outside of the frame 1. FEheoute-r end of the shaft 17 is of half-round construction, as shown at 3 7 in the drawin s. Slidably mounted on the half-round :section of the shaft inside the cylinder 3'5 of t he sleeve 34, is a short slee'ee 37*, into the o'uter end of which a pin f 38 is threaded. The inner face of the cylinder 35 is provided=t="ith a spiral groove 39 in which a spiralfridge 40 on the :sleeve 3'7 engages Pi'vbtally mounted on "the lionsing 36 is a lever 41, provided with a ring 42, engages loosely around the pin- 38, said .pinh'eing provided with shoulders" 48 against which the ring 42 is arranged to silent for thei purpose hereinafter .set forth. The ifilm travels and is actuated 'by the several imechanisms above desciiibedgias'dm dioatedFin-Eigure 8 of the drawings. F rom the upped-magazine it passes :arou'nd'the roller i14 over the sprocket 115 fandfaround the alariousjguide rollers 16 as shown insaid figureipasfi the aperture The film ttien ,p'asse'siu'nder the presser "7 .and thenceover and 'arourid the lower sprocket 6 to the lowerxmagazine, not illustrated.

Imoperation the shaft 4 iisadriven by h'and or any 'siiitable power device actuating the cam i; chi: 5 as well as the worm gears 10 and 111:. Ft The worm gears 10 a11d".11:'rejs'pectivelyodrive the roller 14 and sprocket 15; the r ller 14 by reason of its comparatively largecizircumference frictionally engages the filmltourelieve greatly the stress zandlis'train which would otherwise be placedupon the .filmnperforations iby the sprocket 15. The gpressef 7 is intermittently movedt downward "by the cam slot 29 in the block 5, and thus iintenmittently (carries downwardly ithe film, it .being understood, of course,' that each movement of the gpresser 7 issufiicient in extentto carry down the film from one view to thewnext succeeding wiew. The rpresser then rot-ate during theinterval required by thedownward movement of the presser, and that the upward movement of the presser must be timed accurately in relation to the movement of the sprocket so as to release the film it is being talcen up thereby. It

will thus be seen that the film perforations are relieved from the strain which is imposed thereupon where a sprocket is requiredto actuate the downward movement of the film past the aperture At the same time the shutter shaft "Sis being actuated by means of the spiral slots 33 in the peripheralface of the cam block 5, thus actuating the shutter in unison with the other nae-chm nisms.

jBy reason of the eccentric axes of the rollers 2'? and 28, "actuating the presser 7 there is an automatic adjustment tor wear both in the groovef fiii as well as of thmrollers themselves, and the rollers are provided at all times with perfect bearings on the sides of: the cam groove. Further adjustments may be made iby rotating the pin 24 in the arm 23.

In order toadjust the film witlnreference to the aperiturefl it is only necessary to operate the itever 41 by drawingthedower end thereof outwardly or forcingit inwardly.

Such action longitudina l ly displaces the sleeve 32? with respect to theicylinder 35 of sleeve E34 ,ithe spiral 40aof theformer operating ii-ngroove 39 of ithe rcyilinder so as to rotate 'the sleeve 37* in irelation to the sleeve 34, it f -being understood that the pin 38 is free to rotate in the" ring 42 of the lever. "H hisrrotation oftheisleeve 37 causes a corresponding relative rotation of the shaft 127, the half-round end of which permits the relative longitudinal movement of the sleeve- 37, but looking against relative rotation. I

It 'will be understood that various modirfications the details ofconstruction may he made without departing from the spirit and :scope of the present invention, as for instance, i-the lower sprocket and shutter operating elements may comprise periph- (snail :slots' in the actuating wheels arranged to be engaged by spiral ridges in ithe ggI'OOVBS of the cam block. I desire therefore, to have it understood that :all such modifications are deemed a part of the pres ent invention as above described, and as covered by the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a motion picture projecting machine, in combination with a cam block, said block being provided with a cam slot, presser mechanism for advancing the film, comprising a rock shaft mounted adjacent said block, a short arm on one end of said shaft adjacent the block, a pin secured in the free end of said arm so as to enter said slot, said pin being provided with eccentric axes for rollers, rollers mounted on said axes and arranged to bear respectively on the sides of said slot, and a presser on the free end of said shaft.

2. In combination with a cam block, a rotating shaft mounted in adjacent relation with one face of said block, acircular recess in the adjacent face of said block, a wheel secured on said shaft and arranged to rotate in said recess, and co-operating means in said recess and on said wheel whereby the rotation of said block is arranged to rotate said shaft.

3. In combination with a cam block, a rotating shaft mounted in adjacent relation with one face of said block, a circular recess in the adjacent face of said block, a wheel secured on said shaft and arranged to rotate in said recess, a plurality of peripheral pins on said wheel, and a spiral slot in said recess and arranged to engage said pins, whereby the rotation of said block is arranged to rotate said shaft.

4. In combination with a circular cam block, a shaft rotatably mounted on an axis tangent with the periphery of said block,

a peripheral recess in said block, a wheel secured on said shaft and adapted to rotate in said recess, peripheral pins in said .whel

and a spiral slot in said recessarranged to engage said pins, whereby the rotation of said block is arranged to rotate said shaft.

picture projecting ma- 6. In a motion chine, a shaft, 3. sprocket mounted on said shaft, a sleeve, said sleeve being provided with an enlarged cylindrical end portion'extending beyond the end of said shaft, a

short sleeve slidably mounted on the end of said shaft, said sleeve and shaft being interlocked against spiral interlocking means between said cylinder and said short sleeve, wheel mounted on said sleeve, means for the actuation of said wheel, and means whereby said short sleevemay be moved Ion itudinally with respect to said shaft in sai cylinder whereby the spiral interlocking means is caused to rotate. said shaft'in relation to said sleeve.

7. In combination with a cam block, said block being provided with a cam slot, a shaft mounted adjacent said block, a short arm on the end of said shaft adjacent said block, a pin secured in the free end of said arm so as to enter said slot, said pin being provided with eccentric axes, and rollers mounted on said axes and arranged to bear respectively on the sides of said slot.

ROBERT L. RAMSEY.

relative rotation, a

an actuating 

